Sharjah goes full throttle to boost tourism sector

A series of efforts to boost tourism and its associated sectors in Sharjah has seen the emirate launch air services to new destinations in Europe in the past 18 months and initiate awards in the tourism sector, according to its tourism authority.

Routes to Greece and Ukraine have been launched by Sharjah's flagship carrier, Air Arabia, during that time, in co-ordination with the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The aim was to attract more tourists and overcome challenges associated with the global recession. Air Arabia launched three weekly flights to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, in October 2008 and to the Greek capital, Athens, from April 2009.

The SCTDA has also announced the Sharjah Tourism Excellence Award – an annual event to help leverage services provided by the different tourism segments in the emirate.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmad Al Qassimi, SCTDA Chairman, said in a press conference this week that the authority was co-ordinating with various institutions in the emirate in order to identify and remove the obstacles to tourism development, ensure best services are provided and adopt initiatives aimed at alleviating the difficulties resulting from the recession and boost the tourism sector in the emirate.

Explaining the significance of the tourism award, Sheikh Sultan said: "It aims to encourage establishments and authorities in the tourism sector to play a vital role in the development of tourism in the emirate. It also embodies the need for more effective principles and standards to help leverage tourism services.

This was also the reason for making it an annual event and developing it from the 'SCTDA Success Partners Award' launched last year to recognise the department's most active partners.

"The SCDTA has prepared a set of criteria for each of the 10 categories of the award, namely hotels, hotel apartments, tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, supporters of SCTDA, shopping malls, tour guides, and best tourism feature by the media, as well as an award of appreciation for other establishments serving the tourism sector."

Explaining how the department managed to deal with the impact of the crisis, Mohammed Ali Al Noman, SCDTA Director General, said: "We were able to prevent a decline in the number of tourists visiting Sharjah through foreign participation which helped to boost the emirate's status as a tourist destination.

"The number of tourists recorded a 15 per cent decline during the first half of last year. In the second half, the authority succeeded in recording a nine per cent increase and this was the result of participation in the sector from overseas aimed at introducing the emirate's different tourism locations and facilities to a wider audience," he said.

Projects Delayed

Some tourism projects, including an exhibition centre, that were planned to be launched in Sharjah this year have been suspended due to the impact of the crisis, Mohammed Ali Al Noman, SCDTA Director General, told Emirates Business.

He said the suspensions have been made by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority or 'Shurooq', which was established by Emiri Decree No 2 of 2009 to evaluate and follow up on tourism-related infrastructure projects in the emirate.

"These projects are not cancelled and will be resumed once Shurooq announces its readiness for their resumption," Al Noman said.

Khorfakkan and Dibba, situated on the UAE's east coast, enjoy beautiful landscapes with panoramic views of both the mountains and the sea, he said. They are being given high priority and attention by the Sharjah government.

Sharjah's Eastern Zone is being subject to thorough developments, including road and services infra?structure, in addition to planning and pre-planning of areas.

Shurooq is also responsible for all upcoming tourism, architectural and culture-based projects planned in the emirate to support Sharjah's status as a leader in tourism, cultural and economic projects at the local, regional and international levels, added Al Noman.

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